The present invention relates to a pasta dosing machine, particularly for long-type pasta.
Industrial machines adapted to package pasta are generally known. Obviously, before being packaged, the pasta is to be conveniently weighed by means of dosing machines so as to establish and control the amount provided for packaging.
Said dosing machines are generally provided with roughing and finishing channels in which dosing blades are transversally inserted, setting the amount of pasta to be dispensed to the packaging machine each time.
A suitable basket is placed under the roughing channel and is provided with a weight measurer for weighing the pasta contained in the basket itself. Upon weighing, the weight measurer emits an electronic signal corresponding to weighing being completed, which conveniently drives the fine dosing device, associated with the finishing channel, to release a given amount of pasta. Such an amount is a function of the weighing value taken by the measurer and is adapted to be added to the pasta dosed by the roughing channel so as to obtain the desired dose of pasta to be sent for successive packaging.
Nevertheless, said known dosing machines have some degrees of uncertainty which may give rise to packages with doses not exactly corresponding to the desired amount of pasta.
Furthermore, in detail, the dosing of the pasta contained in the roughing channel is performed by a rotor with a radial recess, which is rotatable about an axis defined by a shaft which is integral with a pulley. Said radial rotor recess is adapted to contain the dose of pasta previously dosed by the blade and, upon a rotation of 180°, to transfer it into the basket connected to the weight measurer.
Such a configuration of weight measurers may however not be optimal in terms of process times which today are required to be shorter and shorter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,209,844 A discloses a dosing machine for pasta which comprises the features recited in the preamble of claim 1.
EP 0519 566 A1 discloses a packaging machine provided with weighing pans.
US 2002/144748A1 discloses a volumetric pocket filler in which a drawer is arranged below a bottom opening and is configured to slide horizontally and to take a first position for collecting the pasta from the hopper into a passage and a second position for transferring the pasta from said passage to a compartment provided with an openable base.